Do you really use your sink or stove? Should we remove?

[Stacy Crotser]

Thanks everyone! I think I'm going to hook up the sink to use when at sites that have water / electricity, though perhaps not carry a water tank. I can have hubby make a cover for the sink to turn into a counter top when not in use. As far as the stove, I'll see if he can get the one we have to work. If it does, then I guess we will keep it and make a covering for it to turn it into a countertop when not in use. If it doesn't work... then I think we might remove it.

Thank you everyone for your ideas / input!

[D Kovetsky]

When I bought my 77' B-17 last thing I was thinking of was appliances, other than furnace.

Fridge? 30 yrs old, highly energy inefficient. Any modern cooler style fridge is lighter, will give more flexibility and draws less power. And I don't believe this 100lbs+ piece of junk will make a dent on resale value or make potential buyer overly exited. So IMHO - save the space in your attic if your fridge or stove is old.

75% of time I think ice box will be enough, beer can be cooled in a nearby stream.

Stove? With an oven? Jess I dont go to backcountry to make a lasagna! And my wife fully shares this approach. All I need is light one or two burner range, camping stove is a nice option but I think I'll go with the one hooked up to LPG (BTW any advice on source (preferrably Canadian) and model will be appreciated) and use space where fridge use to sit to build a boat-style kitchen, possibly convertable to clothes dryer - all vent plates are in place from the fridge era - and furnace compartment is just below.

Sink is mostly useful for washing hands, brushing teeth in the mornings and evenings, but with weight in mind I bought a trailer with no gray water tank and plan to use compostable dishes and biodegradable soaps on family trips, hunting camp use is even simpler - there are not so many dishes or cutlery in use anyway. Same with a toilet - while I have and plan to keep black tank at least for now, it will be used in a port-a-potty mode only with biodegradable bags.

[Phillip]

Hi Stacy,

our stove was gone but I wouldnt have wanted it anyways..I'm leaving our sink for now..We bought a 10X10 Popup Gazebo from walmart.. with a wind curtain .. this way we can cook outside anytime ..I took a 1/2" board and mounted a Microwave on it, then mounted the board with the microwave over the area left from the stove... Much safer with carpeted walls ... we have a 1 burner propane stove to cook on if we dont have power..
My water tank was broken and I have no plans to pump water from it so I removed the tank freeing up alot of storage area ...it can always have one put back in.. I also caulk in the water fill hole ..again it can be removed We will just use the sink as storage for now.. it still has the top and its in good shape ...

I'm with the Majority ....Do what like ..Its Yours ... The first thing I did was take a chance and dye all the interior carpet from the original Canary Yellow to Dark brown..When we bought it ,It looked like someone shot tweety in there.. it can still be seen inside the cabinets and in the storge areas.. just as a reminder. plus it makes it easier to see in there .... But I'd much rather have Brown as Tweety Yellow Mine is a work in progress, We just got it memorial day weekend..We are going camping on the white River by Mtn Home this weekend .. its not finished yet I have all the wood doors to replace and I'm making the rear bed a full time bed ..I removed the top bunk over the front bed making the lower bunk MUCH more comfortable, we can just use throw pillows if we want to sit there

[Roy in TO]

Is there any really good reason for me to NOT remove the sink and fiberglass the hole? I'm thinking counter space would be better than a sink and I'd rather have the extra storage under the benches than tanks there.

Stacy,
We also have a boler American. For the sink we found a plastic cutting board with the wire handles that hold it at counter top level at a dollar store. All I had to do was round the corners a bit to make it fit. For the most part it holds stuff that sits on the counter while we are travelling.

You can get a cover for the stove that raises the counter in that area and levels it out.

For the tanks, we are installing tanks under the floor between the frame rails. That frees up the under bench storage. The boler American only came with a fresh water tank and the sink drained through a hose into a bucket outside. I want to install a grey water tank as well, as some places require one and one never knows when they will boon dock.

We don't use either all that often, but the stove is nice for coffee on those mornings when the weather is not all that great and you want to stay inside. On a chilly evening simply boiling the kettle long enough to make a hot beverage is enough to take the edge off a cool trailer.

I imagine once we get the water reconnected we will use it minimally like the others.

Over all even though they are not used much, they are nice to have and really do not take up all that much room. I chose to keep them.

[Stacy Crotser]

I saw pictures of your sink cover Roy, and I'm going to see if I can find one too!

Phillip, I'm so jealous that you are going camping this weekend. Hubby and I took off work today to work on the Boler.... oh boy... it's all over the garage now. The only thing in the boler at the moment is the closet! Even the kitchen is out!! It's been a long, productive day, and I'm going to sleep really good tonight, but we have a lot more work before we can camp again in it.

[Roy in TO]

I saw pictures of your sink cover Roy, and I'm going to see if I can find one too!

Link to my post with pictures

[RachelW]

We use both our sink and stove, and I can see us using them for quite a while. We have 2 kids (1 and 3) so it's nice to keep them contained inside while making breakfast. We do easy lunches (sandwiches/chips/fruit) and grill for supper. I will cook veggies on the stove for supper. The sink is nice for doing dishes/washing hands. We have a sink cover/cutting board that came with the Scamp.

[Gina D.]

I know others have had to use their trailers as a home-away-from home, due to inclement weather, fires or hurricanes

This would be the #1 reason I bought my first Burro for. I lived in a fire prone area and was constantly evacing.. I had a tiny tent trailer + animals + trying to do all the daily things one does when they have to make a traditional living = Misery. Camping is fun, but remember how tired you get after a trip.. it's a lot of work! Try cramming all that work in and still work a 10 hour day.. tain't easy. daily life was only briefly interrupted, but it didn't completely stop because of my geographic location.

I now not only use my bigger 17ft Burro as a temporary home and fun toy.. it [b]IS my home, so I am very grateful to have all the amenities of a sticks and bricks home in it. The double sink being one of the best comforts in it. I finish my day, I cook my meal and clean up as anyone else would at home, I kick back, grab a cold pop out of the fridge, turn on the tube or surf the net.. all without any extra work or walking to a different location, toting water etc.

I too, prefer to and mostly use real plates, cutlery etc.. so a sink just makes life a whole lot easier for me.